Upcoming Dates:
| September 5 |
Final day of the PIA summer deferral period (which began May 23rd). |
| September 9 |
USAC in-person training in Denver, CO (register). |
| September 15 |
Close of the Cybersecurity Pilot Form 471 application window and deadline for filing the Form 484 Part 2. |
| September 15 |
Due date for comments to the Congressional USF Working Group (see our newsletter of August 4th). |
| September 16 |
USAC in-person training in Washington, DC (register) (also available online). |
| October 20 |
FCC deadline for nominating six new (or renewed) USAC Board members (see DA 25-738 and article below). |
| October 29 |
First FY 2025 Form 486 deadline for applicants funded in Waves 1-10. The Wave 11 deadline will be October 31, with subsequent Form 486 Wave deadlines following weekly. Specifically, the Form 486 deadline is 120 days after the FCDL date, or the service start date (typically July 1st), whichever is later. |
| October 29-31 |
AnchorNets: 13th Annual SHLB Conference, Crystal City, VA. E-Rate Central is a Gold-level sponsor of the event. |
Nine Senators Push to Restore K-12 Cybersecurity Funding:
Nine Senators, unfortunately all Democratic, have written the Hon. Linda E. McMahon, Secretary of the Department of Education, and the Hon. Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security, urging immediate action to restore funding and staffing for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and other programs within DOE that support the critical need for K-12 cybersecurity. Whether or not the participants in the FCC’s Cybersecurity Pilot Program have adopted best practices from CISA is one of the questions posed in both the CBR Form 484 Parts 1 and 2.
FCC Seeking Nominations for Six USAC Board Member Positions:
The FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau released a Public Notice (DA 25-738) seeking nominations for six Universal Service Administrative Company (“USAC”) Board of Directors positions. This is a process that takes place every year when the three-year terms of a third of the current Directors expire (or vacancies need to be filled). This is an important year from an E-Rate perspective because two of the positions available for nomination represent libraries (a position currently held by Amber Gregory, Manager of E-Rate Services, Arkansas State Library) and schools (a position currently held by Julie Tritt Schell, Pennsylvania E-Rate Coordinator for the Pennsylvania Department of Education).
Ms. Tritt Schell has served several terms on the Board, currently serves as Vice Chair, and is clearly one of the E-Rate community’s most knowledgeable people. We hope that she will agree to be renominated, and will then be appointed by the FCC, to another term. Nominations to both the school and library Board slots must be made by the respective industry or non-industry groups. Nominations must be submitted to the FCC by October 20, 2025.